It is a commonly held belief that an in-utero infant is not only aware of the activities occurring external to the womb, but is able to react to those activities. In particular, research indicates that prenatal infants react to auditory stimuli. A prenatal infant's heartbeat may increase when exposed to loud sounds; the sound of a parent's voice may sooth the infant. It is further thought that auditory stimuli effect fetal growth and brain development, and that music, especially, activates the brain cells and stimulates brain function. According to such studies, in addition to helping a parent develop a bond with the prenatal infant that continues after the birth of the infant, prenatal musical stimulation may offer other postnatal benefits including improved cognitive development and language skills.
In view of these theories, parents may choose to more actively expose their in-utero infants to auditory stimuli. In addition to placing the earphones of a standard headset on either side of a pregnant woman's abdomen, there are a number of other devices available to assist parents who wish to make the most of the potential benefits that auditory stimuli can have on their children.
Illustrative of such devices are WO03073788, US2003016840, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,736, incorporated by reference in their entirety herein, each of which discloses a band equipped with one or more speakers that wraps around the torso of a pregnant woman, crossing her abdomen. The speakers may be positioned on the bands such that they direct music or other sounds towards the infant.